So one of the things I would have told you in November (wink), was that my DH Bill took me to Florida for a couple weeks, to recuperate from all the shows I did from Aug to Oct... we had a great time, just goofing off, reading, soaking up the sun, swimming... and of course, eating seafood (mmmm).  I must admit, when we stay in the Kissimmee area, we hit Joe's Crab Shack before we check into our timeshare resort!

However, I was only home for TWO DAYS before I rushed off to England to help our youngest DD, who was heading back to work and didn't yet have anyone she trusted our new granddaughter with, since her first choice (her sister, our other DD) hadn't yet gotten her visa to move over to England, and her second choice was 9 mos pregnant herself, LOL, and couldn't handle a baby at this time.

What started out as "a week or so to help out" turned into 3 weeks, LOL, but I loved it.  I got to see our granddaughter stand for the first time, to buy her a pair of shoes and a riding toy that she was very soon pushing around as she started trying to walk... and I even saw her first couple of tentative steps - even if they were mostly accidental, (GBG), so it was a wonderful trip...

However, I forgot how very busy and time consuming babies are - it's been over 30 years since I had mine!  I had taken several books with me - and read none, LOL.  AND I had taken a couple of projects with me (one to stitch and several to design).  While I DID get SOME stitching done, not nearly as much as I expected to.  However, I did design some adorable snap wallets (watch for them in 2019), and I got the first one stitched (but not assembled).  But there was another project a stitcher is waiting for (a little impatiently, LOL), which STILL isn't finished and ready to print, but IS on the list for this week (sigh).

I returned home THREE DAYS before the Gatenby's big family Christmas, and Bill was supposed to be home a day or so after me... but as you know, he's working in Nunavut now, and he got snowed in for two days!!  He finally got out of camp Saturday morning, got a flight into Toronto the same day (very late), stayed overnight in Toronto, and took a train right to his mom's in Kingston, where I met him on Sunday! 

In the meantime, I had several orders to ship out, including 8 dozen charts for one of my distributors, I had to do all the shopping for his family that didn't get done because I was in England, wrap everything, and spend pretty much all day Saturday baking 13 dozen buns (!!), 10 dozen of which went to the Gatenby's.  Everyone brings part of the meal, and I make the buns every year, (but my MIL, SIL's and nieces have come to expect extra buns to take home, LOL), and 3 dozen went in the freezer for our OWN Christmas!

Whew... busy, but fun!

Once I recovered from all THAT, LOL, I remembered I was teaching a 2-day Advanced Hardanger class at my guild in January, so everything went on hold (again) while I worked up a class project... I'm giving them a sample cloth to learn the stitches on, then a cute doily project (with an owl) that they can make on their own, using the new stitches... sorry, that almost counts as business, which I try not to talk here (wink) ...

My sister (meanwhile) had gone on a mission to Kenya, helping out for three weeks at an orphanage and hospital, acting as an aide for the nurse she went with - she even delivered a bunch of babies!!  SHE got home Christmas Eve, and my family (mom / dad / sis / Bill and I) had a lovely breakfast (mom does this baked dish every year), and opened stockings and gifts at our place.  However, since Chris was so jet lagged, we had decided to postpone our big dinner until Boxing Day, to give her time to rest, so I put the turkey on to cook overnight, and the gang gathered again (with the addition of an adopted aunt and uncle) for a big feast on Boxing Day.

Of course we were all suitably spoiled, LOL, I think EVERYONE gave me De Rocher chocolates!  And even the dogs and cats got goodies!  Another wonderful Christmas gone too quickly...

A cousin came to stay with my parents for a couple days after Boxing Day, so there were more meals together, and games to play... and today (before she headed home), we all went into Belleville and had brunch at EGGSQUIS (if you don't know this restaurant, think a less expensive, but just as tasty Cora's - lots of fresh fruit, and mainly breakfast and lunch menu - they are only open 6am - 3pm).  So again today we were spoiled!  But I was determined to get this blog - and hopefully a newsletter - done up before I gave in and went to bed!

Always thinking of YOU, ROFLOL. 

Anyway, that's the fast (if not short) version of my past month... this year has been full of wonderful events (the best of which is a new granddaughter - our first official grandchild - though we do have 2 step-grandsons), and lots of great designs and wonderful friends...

I'm hoping to get myself organized and caught up before the new year, but since Bill took extra time off over the holidays, and DN leave for work again for another 1.5 weeks, LOL, I'm dubious - but I'll do my best!

Lots of plans on the drawing board, and exciting things I can't wait to share in my newsletters... so have a great holiday season, and the most fun New Year's Eve possible, and I'll talk to you next year!

Well, as I will explain in my newsletter... we had some web issues recently, that ended when we moved the site to a new hosting company.  Unfortunately, the old site crashed before that happened, and we lost several months worth of updates (like from the beginning of June to now!!).  So I ask you to be patient while we try to recover (or remember and recreate) the missing data...

Thanx for your understanding!

We are home from England, where we had a wonderful visit with our youngest DD.  We also had the enormous privilege of getting to know our new grandbaby, and we're quite taken with her, LOL.  We were there from about week 10 to just before she turned 3 months old, and her mom kept telling people that Reem Audrey ALMOST weighed as much (at 3 months of age) as SHE did when she was born (our youngest was 9lb 13 oz at birth... but that's nothing, LOL, our first born was 10lb 5 oz!). 

Anyway, we had a great time, got up to London for a day trip, which we generally manage each time we visit... and we went to Dover for seafood one day... and our oldest came for a visit a couple days before we left, so we got to overlap and have a whole-family vacation together before heading home (Adriane stayed to visit for another couple weeks).  That way Katie and Alaa weren't totally overwhelmed with family, LOL, the girls got a good visit w/o the folks, and Katie had the most help for the longest time!  We are quite fortunate in how close our girls are - they lived together at University, and have matching tattoos on their wrists (Latin for SISTERS)...

We were also there for the big royal wedding (Harry and Megan), but we didn't go to London THAT day, LOL, though we did watch it on tv (but later in the day, when we could fast forward through the boring bits, ROFLOL).  Bill went to work with our SIL for a few days, to help him with a big job he had in hand (he's self-employed), and our DD was calling me the baby whisperer before we left because Reem DN sleep a lot, but seemed to cuddle up to Nana and have a good sleep quite often... though she does have mommy's temper, and sometimes just wanted mom, no matter what!

Bill started his new job this week... but he did get a few days home before and after our trip, so he had a chance to admire all the work I got done, LOL. I have the staircase 3/4 done, as there is just some trim to put on the posts, one newel post top to attach, and a very small section of handrail and spindles (it's only about 3 spindles wide), at the very top curve of the stairs to finish... I had hoped to get it done before Bill went to work, but got side-tracked working on these blogs and newsletters, new releases, filling orders from my time away, and basically catching up (GBG), so fingers crossed for pics for next months blog.

However, I can't resist leaving you with a picture of my new love... which I am giggling about, as her mom thinks the outfit is too girly girly, but I think she's adorable!  Catch you next month...

April is fast getting away from me, so let me quickly post my blog, so I can check it off the list (wink).  Quite a busy month, with Creativ being early... but I have some MOMENTUS news to share... while we DID buy a house in Campbell River... Bill accepted a job that will put him back on a 3-week on / 3-week off schedule... which means we don't have to move (!!!), so we are now selling a house in BC, ROFLOL.  This happened the night before we set up for the Creativ in Toronto, so everyone who came to that show already heard the good news, LOL.

And we didn't forget about the house renovations here in all the excitement, as I also have my BIL working hard on the library stairs... between us we have the posts in place (him), the extra layer of wood on the treads (him), the actual flooring on the treads (a bit him, but mostly me), and the non-slip rubber bullnose in place (me)... I'm hoping that next month I can show you a pic of the hand-rails and spindles (fingers crossed).

But I haven't been idle in the kitchen either!  Changing the layout before we ordered the counter-tops left 3 wee holes drilled in my hardwood floor - RIGHT where you enter the kitchen (sigh).  To fix this it was necessary to pull the hardwood floor up in a large V, since it was all interlocked, and I finally got that done and re-laid the floor, and also put in those floor join strips at the doorways where the kitchen and library meet the diningroom.  Unfortunately, after 6 hours work, it looks like that's all I did, LOL, unless you knew the holes were there and notice they are now gone!

I also got the last faux-wall done, to form the 'fridge garage' ... you know what I mean, LOL, not an actual wall, but that board that hides the side of your fridge and holds up one end of the wee cupboard over the fridge?  I built a small space for a broom attached to that 'wall', then got my china cabinet (which is made to be built in) in place with it's back to the fridge, attaching it to the actual wall (that runs behind the fridge) on one side, and anchored to that 'faux' wall too.  Kind of hard to picture, so maybe I'll post some pics next month...

AND I got the half-wall built (sort of), that hides the counter between the kitchen and diningroom... basically I attached a piece of melamine to the back of the cupboards, that fits the back side of the width and stands about 6" taller.  I anchored additional supports on the kitchen side, wood that is attached to both the 'wall' and the countertop.  I still have to put a narrow (6" tall) piece of drywall on the kitchen side, so I can finish my backsplash tiling, and cut / sand / paint the wide board for the top of the wall, ... but it's starting to look a lot more finished (yea!). 

I'm working on month-end projects for the next few days, so won't get that done this month... but I'm hoping to get the tiling done next week, before Bill comes home (as a surprise for him - if he DN read my blog (wink))... and maybe I'll get the last of the handles on the doors of the pantries in the laundry room too... but I still have to finish crocheting a pair of SHARK BOOTIES for my new grandbaby (we leave for England on the 8th to meet her)... so lots to do in a very short time!

I'll catch you next month, and hopefully have lots of progress to report - as well as news of our trip!  L8R!